The Right to Know

The right to know means that the employer must establish a written, comprehensive hazard communication program that includes provisions for container labeling, materials safety data sheets, and an employee training program. The program must include 

The means the anployer uses to inform employees of the hazards of nonroutine tasks 

The way the employer will inform other employers of the hazards to which their employees may be exposed 

Workers have the right to information regarding the hazards to which they are, or will be, exposed. They have the right to review plans such as the Hazard Communication Program. They have a right to see a copy of a Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) during their shift and receive a copy of an MSDS when requested. Also, information on hazards that may be brought to the workplace by another employer should be available to workers. Other forms of information, such as exposure records, medical records, etc., are to be made available to workers upon request. 

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In the United States, the reportable quantity of 1-propanol for spills under CERCLA "Superfund" is 100 Ib/d (45.4 kg/d). However, no reportable quantity is assigned for transport (43). The substance is on the list for atmospheric standards, as defined iu 40 CER 60.489 (47). The iatent of these standards is to require all newly constmcted, modified, and reconstmcted manufacturiug units to use the best demonstrated system of continuous emission reduction for equipment leaks of volatile organic compounds (47). 1-Propanol is also on the right-to-know regulations of the states of Connecticut,... 

Public sector employers receive the Right to Know Survey from the NJ Department of Health (NJDOH). It combines the hazardous substances inventory reporting requirements of both NJDEP and NJDOH. 

Chemical Manufacturers Associations, "Title III The Right to Know, The Need to Plan," Cheinecology, March 1987. 

The consumer groups claimed harm from the lack of information on drug prices. Prices varied widely across pharmacies in the state, but without easily obtained information due to the advertising ban, consumers would pay extra for their drugs. Worse, their health might suffer if they could not find the drugs they needed at affordable prices. They believed that consumers had the right to know whatever information pharmacists had about a product. 

The Supreme Court rules in favor of the Virginia Citizens Consumer Council, which sued the Virginia Board of Pharmacy for prohibiting pharmacists from advertising drug prices. The Court concludes that the public has the right to know price information about prescription drugs. 

The one area in which REACH does give consumers the right to know about chemicals in products is with respect to the presence of substances of very high concern. However, products do not have to be labelled to indicate that they... 

Beyond the right to know what kinds of values are being implemented in the therapy, learning new values is among the most important aspects of insight therapy. My patients tend to perk up from the moment that I tell them that I believe in promoting their right to live life as they choose. They perk up even more when I explain that I believe in love and want to help them lead more love-filled lives. 

Baram M. (1984) The right to know and the duty to disclose hazard information. American Journal of Public Health 74(4) 385-390. 

A goal of hazard communication is to ensure that employers, employees, and the public are provided with information on the hazards of chemicals so that they can take effective preventive and protective measures for their health and safety. This is sometimes referred to as the right-to-know principle. 

OSHA Hazard Communication Standard (29 CFR 1910.1200) The US OSHA s Hazard Communication Standard (HCS) ensures that information about chemical hazards and associated protective measures is provided to workers and employers. This is accomplished by requiring chemical manufacturers and importers to evaluate the hazards of the chemicals they produce or import, and to provide information through labels on shipped containers and MSDSs. Employers with hazardous chemicals in their workplaces must prepare and implement a written hazard communication program, and must ensure that containers are labeled, employees are provided access to MSDSs, and an effective training program is conducted for all potentially exposed employees. The HCS provides workers the right-to-know the... 

Consists of more than 1 150 000 records containing information on the annual estimated releases of toxic chemicals to the environment. This information is gathered by the US EPA through manufacturers/ importers/users of chemicals under the provisions of the SARA amendments of CERCLA. Records contain information on the storage, discharge, waste treatment, and waste transfer of approximately 650 chemicals. RTD Net The Right to Know Network,... 

The OSHA Hazard Communication Standard, better known as the Right-to-Know law, requires that the hazards of all chemicals produced in or imported into the United States are evaluated and that employers provide their employees with all appropriate hazard information. This involves providing employees with hazard communication/training programs and access to material safety data sheets (MSDSs) and written records. OSHA considers the MSDS the primary vehicle for transmitting detailed hazard information to downstream employers and employees. 

In the context of a clinical trial, informing the patient of possible side effects could influence the outcome of the study. However, subjects have the right to know what may be expected to occur during participation. They must be informed of all possible adverse effects consistent with the information in the package insert (if available) and the information known from other studies. 

The "Right to Know Law" covers science teachers who work with potentially hazardous chemicals. Briefly, the law states that employees must be informed of potentially toxic chemicals. An inventory must be made available if requested. 

Activist/Consumer Like the behavioral scientist, the activist approaches the label as a device for increasing the amount of information available to the consumer or worker. The underlying assumption is that information is inherently valuable, and more information is always in the public interest. The consumer/labor advocate wishes to label in the interest of information transfer to the user or worker, so as to enhance the right to know. The reader may find it useful to review a related perspective on labeling functions and orientations provided in the Bambury Report 6 entitled Product Labeling and Health Risks edited by Morris et al. (1980)... 

Thirdly, in the nineteen eighties, as a result of the Right to Know movement for greater public awareness of the toxic and hazardous properties of materials to which workers might be exposed, OSHA s Hazard Communication Standard was promulgated as 29 CFR 1910.1200. 

The HazCom standard is often called the Right-to-Know law or HazCom. 

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